Ecuador

Unfortunately, due to time constraints I ended up hardly riding in Ecuador at all. I had come in by bus from Trujillo via Guayaquil to Quito, where I ended the cycling with a brave, but short and very hilly crossing of Quito from the bus terminal to the boutique hotel in downtown where I met my wife Jill for the final 2 week vacation. In the first week, after strolling around right on the equator and a few rainy acclimatization hikes we climbed Cotopaxi and went on to Chimborazo. In both cases we were greeted by stormy weather; it seemed as if the weather gods had saved the worst for last. In the second week we flew out to the Galapagos Islands and toured the archipelago on a luxurious yacht for a week. It is one of the most fascinating landscapes I have ever seen, certainly worth a visit.